Page 93 of Mountain Wood

“You look amazing in everything you wear.” My girl is in an oversized ivory sweater, dark blue cargo pants, and she’s got one of my beanies on her head. Her dark hair is braided back, the tail draped over her shoulder, which is a constant temptation for me to pull on.

Grace’s brows pinch. “But we have work to do.”

“It can wait.” Those words have never come out of my mouth before. “We’ve got a little time before it officially starts. Want to grab a hot chocolate?”

She squeals and claps her hands. “Yes!”

This woman makes me feel like I’ve hung the moon when I’ve barely done a thing for her. It’s confusing. Nice, but confusing. It makes me suspect she’s only dated men who’ve given her the bare minimum… and I’m not a bare minimum man.

“Don’t move.” Hopping out of the truck, my heart gallops as I hurry around to her side and open the passenger door. She takes my hand and squeals again. My knees almost buckle from the warmth her smile shoots into my chest. Man, I’m such a goner for her.

We make our way down the street, with the coffee shop dead ahead. The board out front has a listof specialty drinks, but before we get there, Grace halts. “Hang on. I want to grab some lotion and hair oil to send to Nicole.”

She deviates from our path, and we enter Sindra’s Soap Shop instead.

“Hi guys!” Sindra saunters over with a huge grin. It’s a little weird, if I’m honest. She’s not usually so cheery.

“How’s it going?” I ask, nervously.

“Couldn’t be better.” She stares at me even harder.

I don’t like it. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” She fails at her attempt to look clueless. “I’m just in awe, that’s all.” She bats her lashes and holds her hand to her chest. “It’s not every day we have a celebrity in the house.”

Grace freezes over by the shampoo bars, eyes wide, and mouth parting as her jaw drops to the linoleum.

Sindra saunters over to a new display that’s all decorated up. “You should test my newest fragrance.”

“Uh. Okay?” I’m so confused. Why is she acting this weird? “Did you eat and drink enough water today, Sindra?”

“Shut up and get over here.” She plucks a glass vial of beard oil from the table and unscrews the top. “Here, hold out your hand.”

I’m not about to defy her. She’s not acting right.

Sindra puts a few drops into my palm, and I rub my hands together, then bring them up to my nose. It smells like cloves and oranges and… balsam fir, maybe? I don’t know. It’s nice though.

“Go on,” she urges, waiting for me to do something else.

I cautiously run the oil through my beard and turn to Grace for some help here. I give her a look that practically begs her to save me, and Grace reads my message loud and clear. She strides over with a basket full of products and literally pulls me by my beard, down to her.

Fucking hell, I think a new kink just unlocked.

Blood rushes to my dick as I get handled by my facial hair and Grace smells me, inhaling deeply like she can’t get enough. “Oh, that’s good.” She sniffs me again. “Holy shit, you nailed it, Sindra.”

“I thought so too,” the woman says proudly.

She spins the bottle around so I can read the label. My cheeks instantly flare with embarrassment.

Mountain Wood.

Kill. Me. Now.

Sindra leaps up to wrap her arms around my neck and hugs me. “Thank you so much for what you did, Dean. I can’t believe you didn’t say anything the other day when I told you I had that influx of orders!” She gives Grace a big hug next. “I can’t thank you two enough.”

“Your skincare is phenomenal,” Grace says once she can breathe again. “I’m sending this stuff to my best friend, Nicole. She’s going to love it.”

“You help yourself to anything here, honey. My treat.”

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